Home2025-07-21T22:11:13+00:00

Tiny growth for UK economy – and most of us are struggling desperately

Share this post:

The UK economy inched ahead by just 0.1 per cent in August, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures – offering Rachel Reeves a tiny boost ahead of next month’s crucial budget.

Manufacturing, particularly pharmaceuticals, and the health sector provided the main lift.

But the overall picture is pitifully weak: the ONS also revised July’s previously “flat” growth down to a 0.1 per cent contraction, leaving total output over the three months to August up a mere 0.3 per cent.


Never miss a Vox Political post!

Social media algorithms often hide what you want to read. If you’d like to get every article directly, here are your options:

RSS Feed – instant updates, no filters:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/get-every-vox-political-post-no-algorithms-no-blocks/

Mailing List – updates delivered to your inbox:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/join-the-vox-political-mailing-list/

Video Mailing List – updates go straight to your inbox:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1503041/155584006128141972/share

Discord Server – direct updates, discussion and campaigns
https://discord.gg/SMCRE39XGm

Telegram Channel – every post, direct to your phone:
https://t.co/be9EMGHXFV

Support Vox Political!

With social media algorithms acting as gatekeepers – allowing users to read only what their owners want them to, sites like Vox Political need the support of our readers like never before.

You can help by making a donation:

https://Ko-fi.com/voxpolitical


While the UK technically remains on track to be the second-fastest growing economy in the G7 this year, the worrying reality is that the services sector, which makes up around three-quarters of economic activity, flatlined for a second month, and construction fell by 0.3 per cent.

Where are all those houses that Labour promised us? Or have they been built but are of such low quality they won’t sell?

Economists are warning that recovery is likely to remain sluggish.

Fergus Jimenez-England of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said growth in the third quarter was “limited” after a difficult summer for businesses.

The Confederation of British Industry noted that firms are holding back on hiring and investment, citing “subdued demand and higher operating costs.”

The Treasury likes to emphasise the UK’s strong growth relative to other G7 nations – but for most households the economy still feels stuck.

When have any profits trickled down to ordinary people? The answer is never – because trickle-down economics is nonsense.

With inflation forecast to ease and interest rate cuts expected next year, the Chancellor needs to ensure any recovery is felt beyond business profits – a feat she has singularly failed to achieve so far.

Headline growth offers politicians talking points, but the lived reality for ordinary people remains desperate.

Note to readers

Vox Political is evolving!

I’m opening a new home for my reporting — The Whip Line on Substack — where independent journalism will be supported directly by readers.

From now on, you’ll still get at least one free article here every day, but most of my work will appear on The Whip Line, available to subscribers who make this reporting possible.

Join The Whip Line today and help keep independent journalism alive:
https://thewhipline.substack.com

Share this post:

Loading ad...

Mone-linked PPE firm misses £122 million repayment deadline — and the bill is growing

Share this post:

The saga of PPE Medpro – the firm linked to Conservative peer Michelle Mone – has taken another turn, after the company failed to meet a High Court deadline to repay £122 million it owes the public purse.

The High Court confirmed that PPE Medpro had breached its contract with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) by supplying gowns that were not proven to be sterile and were therefore unfit for NHS use.

The court’s decision followed a long-running legal dispute that began in 2022, when the DHSC sought to recover the £122 million paid for the unusable gowns. The company was ordered to repay the full amount – plus interest and costs.

But PPE Medpro went into administration and missed today’s (October 16) court deadline to hand over the cash.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the government will “pursue PPE Medpro with everything we’ve got to get these funds back”.

He claimed the total owed is now more than £145 million including interest – with that sum continuing to rise at eight per cent per year.


Never miss a Vox Political post!

Social media algorithms often hide what you want to read. If you’d like to get every article directly, here are your options:

RSS Feed – instant updates, no filters:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/get-every-vox-political-post-no-algorithms-no-blocks/

Mailing List – updates delivered to your inbox:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/join-the-vox-political-mailing-list/

Video Mailing List – updates go straight to your inbox:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1503041/155584006128141972/share

Discord Server – direct updates, discussion and campaigns
https://discord.gg/SMCRE39XGm

Telegram Channel – every post, direct to your phone:
https://t.co/be9EMGHXFV

Support Vox Political!

With social media algorithms acting as gatekeepers – allowing users to read only what their owners want them to, sites like Vox Political need the support of our readers like never before.

You can help by making a donation:

https://Ko-fi.com/voxpolitical


PPE Medpro was one of dozens of companies pushed through the then-Tory government’s unlawful “VIP lane” for Covid-19 contracts.

It was recommended by Baroness Mone – who denied involvement until 2023, when she admitted she stood to benefit to the tune of £60 million.

The firm’s latest accounts, filed at Companies House, list just £666,000 in assets. Meanwhile, £83 million from the government deal is said to have been passed to other companies – but it is unclear whether the National Crime Agency’s ongoing investigation includes them.

Streeting’s words may sound tough, but the reality is simple: the money is gone, the company is bust, and the people behind it are still rich.

So the question remains: when will Michelle Mone and her partner Doug Barrowman hand back their share of the PPE Medpro fortune – and when will any of the VIP lane profiteers face real justice?

Note to readers

Vox Political is evolving!

I’m opening a new home for my reporting — The Whip Line on Substack — where independent journalism will be supported directly by readers.

From now on, you’ll still get at least one free article here every day, but most of my work will appear on The Whip Line, available to subscribers who make this reporting possible.

Join The Whip Line today and help keep independent journalism alive:
https://thewhipline.substack.com

Share this post:

No interest in national security as politicians duck and cover after China spy case collapse

Share this post:

What an ugly display: a court case over alleged spying for China has collapsed because the United Kingdom’s espionage law has not been kept up to date – and all our politicians can do is rush to save their own skins.

The case involved two men, former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and academic Christopher Berry, accused of passing sensitive information to a senior Chinese Communist Party official.

Both were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024, when the Conservatives were in power. The alleged offences dated from December 2021 to February 2023.

But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case, saying it could not prove that China had been defined as a “threat to national security” at the time. Without that formal designation, the charges could not stand.

The result is a legal absurdity: everyone accepts that China engages in espionage, but because the government failed to update the law to reflect that fact, the prosecution fell apart.

Now both major parties are blaming each other for the mess.

The Conservatives claim Keir Starmer’s Labour government pressured officials to avoid jeopardising trade with China.

Labour points out that it was the Tories, in power when the alleged offences occurred, who never classified China as a national security threat – effectively sabotaging their own case.

While they trade accusations, nobody in Westminster is asking the real question: how can national security be taken seriously if the laws meant to defend it are left unfit for purpose?


Never miss a Vox Political post!

Social media algorithms often hide what you want to read. If you’d like to get every article directly, here are your options:

RSS Feed – instant updates, no filters:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/get-every-vox-political-post-no-algorithms-no-blocks/

Mailing List – updates delivered to your inbox:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/join-the-vox-political-mailing-list/

Video Mailing List – updates go straight to your inbox:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1503041/155584006128141972/share

Discord Server – direct updates, discussion and campaigns
https://discord.gg/SMCRE39XGm

Telegram Channel – every post, direct to your phone:
https://t.co/be9EMGHXFV

Support Vox Political!

With social media algorithms acting as gatekeepers – allowing users to read only what their owners want them to, sites like Vox Political need the support of our readers like never before.

You can help by making a donation:

https://Ko-fi.com/voxpolitical


The political spin over process

The headlines scream “Chinese spying”, but the real story is the collapse of a prosecution and the political blame game that followed.

Each side is more interested in how the fallout looks than in fixing the hole in the law.

The Prime Minister ordered the release of witness statements by Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins, trying to look transparent.

But the Conservatives seized on them to allege political interference.

The irony is that the statements show continuity, not conspiracy: both governments share the same policy language on China — “We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.”

The words were lifted straight from Labour’s manifesto, but almost identical phrasing had already appeared under the Conservatives.

In other words, those parties are united in pretending to be tough on China while keeping the trade doors open.

The ‘five per cent’ shortfall

CPS head Stephen Parkinson told MPs the case was “ninety-five per cent there”, but “five per cent short” of the evidence threshold.

It’s a meaningless phrase — not a legal standard but a political fig leaf.

That missing “five per cent” is simply the government’s failure to state clearly whether China was considered an “enemy” in law.

Without that wording, the CPS could not argue that passing information about the UK’s interests met the test for espionage.

So instead of confronting this legal grey area, ministers and prosecutors settled for mutual finger-pointing.

National security as a political prop

The real scandal is how easily “national security” is turned into a prop for political theatre.

The Conservatives now shout that Labour went soft on China, while Labour insists the Tories left them a broken system – which, by the way, is entirely plausible considering the collapse of government under the Tory-fuelled austerity of 2010 onwards. Government systems were pared down to the bone and many of them, it seems, collapsed entirely – “national security” included.

Yet neither political party now wants to update the system, because ambiguity suits them both.

It allows them to posture as defenders of the realm while maintaining “positive economic relations” with Beijing — code for don’t upset our corporate friends.

The human cost

Caught in the middle are the two accused men.

Christopher Cash says he has lost his career and reputation without the chance to prove his innocence: “I should not have to take part in a trial by media.”

Christopher Berry remains silent, but both are left in a political limbo — their names tarnished, their guilt or innocence undecided.

It is a reminder that when prosecutions are politicised, justice is the first casualty.

The distraction game

In the same week this case imploded, Dominic Cummings claimed that Chinese hackers had compromised the UK’s most secret systems.

That story was swiftly debunked by the National Cyber Security Centre.

But the timing was convenient: every shout of “Chinese infiltration!” keeps the press and public distracted from domestic failures — ranging from crumbling infrastructure to economic stagnation.

When governments can turn espionage into a headline diversion, they have no incentive to make the law work properly.

What are we left with?

The China spy case hasn’t exposed a great threat from abroad.

It has revealed something far closer to home: the collapse of competence and courage in Westminster.

We don’t know what China has been watching – but the only things our politicians are keeping under surveillance are their own backsides.

Note to readers

Vox Political is evolving!

I’m opening a new home for my reporting — The Whip Line on Substack — where independent journalism will be supported directly by readers.

From now on, you’ll still get at least one free article here every day, but most of my work will appear on The Whip Line, available to subscribers who make this reporting possible.

Join The Whip Line today and help keep independent journalism alive:
https://thewhipline.substack.com

Share this post:

Big changes are coming to Vox Political!

Share this post:

I’m opening a new home for my independent UK political reporting: The Whip Line* on Substack.

From November 1, most of my content will be posted there – and yes, most of it will be behind a paywall because I need to make this work financially sustainable.

What this means for you:

  • Each day, a headline article will remain free for everyone.

  • All other content will be available only to subscribers.

  • This move is necessary because independent journalism like that of Vox Political isn’t financially viable without paid support. I’ve tried other avenues to keep the content free at the point of use, but they haven’t caught on — now I have to make this work pay.

Mailing list migration:

Unless you contact me to opt out, all current mailing list subscribers will be migrated to Substack, in order to keep you fully informed. If you want to opt out, simply email [email protected].

For existing supporters:

If you’re already donating regularly via Stripe or PayPal, you’re welcome to cancel those payments and join the new system on Substack. Every subscription helps keep independent reporting alive.

What’s changing:

  • The new system will focus on subscriber content, but I’ll continue to provide one free headline article per day.

  • Other content will be subscriber-only.

How to subscribe:

Visit https://thewhipline.substack.com/subscribe to subscribe for free or support the publication financially. Your support is what keeps independent journalism alive.

Thank you for your continued support — it means everything.

*Why not call it Vox Political again? Simple: there are other organisations called “Vox” in some way and I’m tired of living in their shade.

Share this post:

Tory and Reform attack on Labour energy bill policy is a bid to keep prices high

Share this post:

Energy bills have risen again – and the usual suspects are already using it as an excuse to attack the Labour government’s clean energy policy.

From the beginning of this month (October), Ofgem’s new price cap has pushed the “typical” dual-fuel household bill up by around two per cent to £1,755 per year. That is about £35 more than before.

Predictably, the Conservatives and Reform UK have pounced, claiming Ed Miliband’s drive to deliver clean power is hammering households with higher costs.

Both parties want to scrap the UK’s net-zero target and reverse the transition to renewables.

But their claims are false – and their motives are not what they pretend.


Never miss a Vox Political post!

Social media algorithms often hide what you want to read. If you’d like to get every article directly, here are your options:

RSS Feed – instant updates, no filters:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/get-every-vox-political-post-no-algorithms-no-blocks/

Mailing List – updates delivered to your inbox:
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/join-the-vox-political-mailing-list/

Video Mailing List – updates go straight to your inbox:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/1503041/155584006128141972/share

Discord Server – direct updates, discussion and campaigns
https://discord.gg/SMCRE39XGm

Telegram Channel – every post, direct to your phone:
https://t.co/be9EMGHXFV

Support Vox Political!

With social media algorithms acting as gatekeepers – allowing users to read only what their owners want them to, sites like Vox Political need the support of our readers like never before.

You can help by making a donation:

https://Ko-fi.com/voxpolitical


The false blame game

The rise in bills has nothing to do with wind or solar energy.

Ofgem’s own data show that wholesale gas prices have actually fallen slightly this quarter.

The increase comes instead from network costs, standing charges, and policy costs – the fixed charges that fund the pipes, wires and schemes built into our bills.

Yet the Conservatives and Reform are using the rise to push the fiction that renewable energy is to blame.

In truth, they are in a race – desperate to discredit the clean-energy transition before it begins delivering real savings to the public.

Once renewables start cutting prices, their fossil-fuel funders will lose leverage.

The attacks are really about keeping prices high for as long as possible, not about protecting households.

The real scandal: cowboy insulation schemes

If people want a legitimate reason to be angry about high bills, they should look not at renewables but at the failed insulation schemes we have already been forced to finance.

The last government claimed it was cutting our bills by funding home-insulation programmes through the standing charges on our energy bills.

In reality, it handed contracts to cowboy firms that botched the work and wrecked thousands of homes. Some properties were left damp, mouldy and dangerous – literal deathtraps.

The National Audit Office has found that 98 per cent of homes fitted with external wall insulation under one flagship scheme now need repair or replacement, with the total cost of the failure estimated at £165 million.

That money came from us – from the levies built into our energy bills.

It was supposed to make our homes warmer and our bills cheaper.

Instead, it funded poorly managed work with no scrutiny, leaving households to deal with unsafe homes.

Will it happen again?

Ed Miliband is arguing that clean power is the “best way to bring down bills for good” – and he’s right in principle.

Renewables are already cheaper to produce than gas, and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is the only real route to energy security.

But with policy costs and standing charges still rising, we have every right to ask:

How do we know this money is being spent properly now?

If billions of pounds are again being channelled through schemes designed to support the energy transition, where is the oversight?

What guarantees exist that the public will not be left paying for another fiasco – or another round of “cowboy” contractors – in the years ahead?

The truth of it

The Conservatives and Reform UK are not trying to save us money; they are trying to slow down the transition to clean power.

The real threat to household finances lies in corruption, incompetence and lack of accountability – not in the pursuit of clean energy.

Until those problems are addressed, the danger is not just that the green transition will fail, but that we will be forced to pay for its failure many times over.

Share this post:


💬 **Thanks for reading!** If this article helped you see through the spin, please: 🔁 **Like this article?** Share it with friends or comment below — it helps more than you know.

Welcome to Vox Political – watch this first!

Get The Whip Line – July 2025!

Support independent journalism — and receive Vox Political’s latest collection of fearless reporting.

💻 Donate £15 via Ko-fi and get the eBook
📚 Donate £20 via Ko-fi and get the paperback

👉 Claim your copy now:
Support on Ko-fi →

No billionaire backers. Just sharp, uncompromising political journalism — powered by readers like you.

Grab your copy today — support real journalism and keep it free from corporate influence!

FREE NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our newsletter today and be the first to know when we publish a new blog post.

Archives

Subscribe to the Vox Political video mailing list!

Go to Top